Gateway to Leisure Travel

International Museum Day Celebrated on 18 May Every Year

Among the celebrations to welcome the seasonal change during the month of May is International Museum Day – a highly anticipated event for the global museum community. International Museum Day (IMD) is a celebration that held every year on or around 18 May, coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). Every year on 18 May, events and activities are organized to celebrate International Museum Day, which last either for a day, a weekend or for a whole week.

In the year 1977, the International Council of Museums (ICOM) formed International Museum Day with the aim to increase awareness amongst public about the role of museums. The event highlights a specific theme that changes every year and that is at the heart of the international museum community’s preoccupations. In 2015, International Museum Day received record‐breaking participation. More than 35,000 museums participated in the event in 145 countries across five continents.

In 2016, the theme “Museums and cultural landscapes” is also the theme of the ICOM General Conference, to be held in Milan, Italy, from 3 to 9 July 2016. This theme makes museums accountable for their landscapes, asking them to contribute knowledge and expertise and to play an active role in their management and upkeep.

Why don’t you make a plan to witness such events by visiting any of the world’s popular museums? Below mentioned are some of the most popular Museums of the world.

The State Hermitage Museum, Russia

The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums in the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been open to the public since 1852. It has the largest collection of paintings in the world. The most remarkable thing about this museum is its impressive Golden Rooms with their golden gems. It is considered as a stunning place that covers the world history right from the Stone Age till the present times.

The Egyptian Museum, Egypt

If you are passionate about art and like to explore Egyptian art then visit the Egyptian Museum in Egypt. It is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms. It is one of the largest museums in the region. The various treasures of the museum include a popular Mummy Room which holds the famous artifacts from the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The Louvre Museum, France

The Louvre Museum is the world’s largest museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement. The unique painting of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the highlight of this museum. Besides, there are thousands of other valuables of human civilization from Asia, Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome.

The British Museum, England

The British Museum is a museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture, located in the Bloomsbury area of London. It is the country’s largest museum and one of the oldest and finest in the world. This famous museum boasts vast Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, European and Middle Eastern galleries, among many others. It is frequently London’s most visited attraction, drawing over six million visitors each year.

The Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece

The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. It was designed by architect Bernard Tschumi with Michael Photiadis and inaugurated in the summer of 2009. It has a stunning transparent ground floor gallery made of glass. It provides interesting history and while sloping upward an amazing view of the archaeological excavation can be seen.

Top Indian Museum to be visited

India itself has so many exquisitely constructed museums with unique contains to display. Below mentioned are some of the unique and must to visit museums in India.

Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai

This museum was built in the 20th century, which has been renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharajah Museum. It is located near the Gateway of India, in Mumbai that tells the tale of the bygones. It was built by the citizens in cooperation with the Govt. of India to honor the arrival of the Prince of Wales. The architecture drew strongly from the Golconda Fort and the Bijapur Gol Gumbaz, 18th century Maratha mansion styles. Its vast collection includes impressive Hindu and Buddhist sculpture, terracotta figurines from the Indus Valley, Indian miniature paintings, porcelain and some particularly vicious-looking weaponry.

National Rail Museum, New Delhi

The National Rail Museum is located at Chanakyapuri, in New Delhi. It focuses on the heritage of Indian railway. It is located in over 10 acres of land with both indoor and outdoor exhibits. There is a toy train that offers ride, taking you around the site. Among the most popular exhibits are the Fairy Queen, the oldest working steam locomotive and the saloons of various Maharajas of states of India. If the thudding of the tracks is what excites you, don’t miss this one.

International Dolls Museum, New Delhi

The International Dolls Museum is a large collection of dolls in Delhi, India. It was set up by K. Shankar Pillai, a political cartoonist. The museum has the largest collection of costume dolls than anywhere in the world. The collections of dolls are classified into two parts. One part consists of the dolls collected from European countries such as UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth of Independent States and the other section consists of dolls collected from other Asian countries, Middle East, Africa and India.

The Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmadabad

The Calico Museum of Textiles is located in the city of Ahmadabad in the state of Gujarat in western India. It is a museum that is dedicated to fabric paintings. It is considered as one of the finest textile museums of the world. The displays at this museum are very attractive and have attracted a lot of international and local visitors. Many cloths in display were used previously by Mughals and provincial rulers of 15th to 19th centuries. The museum is managed by the Sarabhai Foundation.

Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad

The Salar Jung Museum is an art museum located at Darushifa, on the southern bank of the Musi River in the city of Hyderabad. It is an art museum and has a huge collection of precious objects like Ivory and Marble sculptures. It is popular for being the largest one-man collections from around the World. There are a lot of carvings, artefacts, paintings and many other elements from various countries and various eras.

India is a country rich with culture and heritage However, it is not always just boring stuff. Make this day special by visiting some of the well-known and unique museums of India and witnessing the events organized there. Explore the art and culture of the above mentioned places by visiting these distinctive and captivating museums.